El Inmortal 80 min.

Synopsis

In 1979, the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua ended the dictatorship of the Somoza family. Fearing a second Cuba, the Reagan Administration financed and armed the counterrevolutionaries. What followed was a long and bloody civil war that left many Nicaraguans with deep scars. When Contras and Sandinistas clashed on 3 April 1983 around the village of Waslala, the Rivera family - mother Julia, daughters Maria and Reina, son Emilio and twins José and Juan - was literally caught in the crossfire. Maria saw how her husband was tortured to death and Emilio (13) and José (12) were kidnapped and recruited by the Contras. 15-year-old Reina went along to watch over them, unaware of the fact that the Contras "went through women like towels." Twin brother Juan remained behind and later, as a conscript on the Sandinista side, fought against his own brother. Twenty years later, the tension is still palpable. The vivid memories of the war and feelings of hatred and shame make it hard to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile an empty truck called "El Inmortal" travels through the village. Director Moncada Rodríguez uses this truck as the leitmotif and shows a country where the war still haunts the villages and jungle.

Peter Triest wins Mediafonds Documentary Award 2016
November 16, 2016 | During IDFA's opening ceremony, the Mediafonds Documentary Award 2016 (€125,000) was presented to Peter Triest for the realisation of his film plan Parked Lives, developed in the IDFA-Mediafonds Workshop.